$2,000 – March.
$1,500 – June.
$3,000 – Pension.
Vanessa eventually counted it.
$64,200.
But underneath the money was something even more important.
A new will.
Eight months old.
Greg had been named executor in Mom’s old will.
Not this one.
This will named me.
It also created a trust for Tyler and Ava.
The cash in the box.
Half the proceeds from the eventual sale of Mom’s house.
Vanessa would serve as trustee.
And Greg?
His inheritance came with one condition.
He would receive it only after successfully completing a certified treatment program for gambling addiction.
Until then, his share would remain protected.
I looked at Vanessa.
“Gambling?”
She nodded.
“Three years. Maybe longer.”
Then we found Mom’s black notebook.
Page after page.
Dates.
Amounts.
Missing money.
Loans.
Credit-card charges.
Casino transactions.
A forged signature.
One entry stopped me cold.
Oct. 3.
Greg came asking for $10,000.
Said men were coming after him.
Said the children weren’t safe.
